Report a Repair
Housing repairs will be carried out by Wirral Partnership Homes (Building Services) Ltd. To report a repair call the freephone number 0808 1009596 or email
housingrepairs@wphomes.org.uk Wirral Partnership Homes Repairs Service
Wirral Partnership Homes is committed to providing the highest standard of repair service for all of our tenants. Our aim is to work with tenants so we get it right first time, every time.
Please use our repairs service to tell us if you need a repair done to your home. Wirral Partnership Homes will carry out all repairs that we are responsible for. We receive lots of requests for repairs and will always try to tackle the most serious repair first. For example a leak that has flooded a bathroom is more serious than a gentle drip. We have set targets for how quickly we carry out your repairs.
How to Report a Repair
Wirral Partnership Home's Repairs Response Centre is the primary point of contact for reporting all repairs. However, any repair can be reported to any of Wirral Partnerships regional Housing Offices or at our Birkenhead Head Office. You can report a repair via a number of ways.
All emergency and non emergency repairs can be reported to our Repairs Response Centre by:
- Telephone at any time on 0808 100 9596
- All non-emergency repairs can be reported Monday to Friday 8.00am to 5.00pm by:
- E-mail to housingrepairs@wphomes.org.uk
- Fax on 0151 638 3367
- In person to either your regional Housing Office or our Head Office
- In writing to our Response Centre at:
Wirral Partnership Homes Repair Response Centre
Dock Road
Birkenhead
Wirral
CH41 1JW
Or alternatively your can write to your regional Housing Office or our Birkenhead Head Office.
When you report your repair we will put your repair request into one of the following five categories and tell you how quickly you should expect it to be completed.
| Category |
Response Time |
Details |
Examples |
| Emergency Repair |
Attendance within 2 hours |
Where there is a serious health and safety risk to tenant or property |
Gas leaks, total loss of electrical power or water supply. Blocked toilet/drains, burst pipe work or water tanks. Stolen keys, broken windows or doors that pose a security risk. |
| Priority 1, Urgent Repair |
Next Day |
Where there is a serious or urgent repair |
Loss of heating during winter months where no other source of heat is available. Partial loss of electrical power or water. Urgent roof leaks, blocked sinks and glazing |
| Priority 2, Non-Urgent Repair |
7 Calendar days |
Where there is a non-urgent but important repair.A convenient appointment and repair receipt will be provided for these repairs Non-urgent roof leaks/repairs. |
Loss of heating and plumbing. Defective sockets and switches. External door and window repairs. |
| Priority 3, Routine Repair |
1 Calendar Month |
Where a repair is not considered as urgent. If you require a pre-inspection a convenient appointment will be provided and once the repair is agreed a repair receipt will be provided. |
Minor gutter leaks. Minor kitchen and bathroom repairs, plasterworks. Internal joinery such as doors and skirting board. External works such as fencing and flagging |
| Priority 4, Programmed Repair |
In accordance with the relevant type of programmed repair required |
We will group together certain types of non-urgent pre-planned replacement repairs and tackle them as part of a larger programme of repairs. We will contact you in writing providing you with appointment dates and completion targets. |
Replacement kitchens, bathrooms and central heating systems. |
Tenant Responsibilities
Although Wirral Partnership Homes is responsible for many repairs to your home there are certain areas that tenants are responsible for. Examples of these are:
- Maintaining gardens
- Keeping you home and its fixtures and fittings in good condition.
- Leaving your home in good condition at the end of your tenancy.
- Advising us of any damage to the property or of any defects that may injure or damage anybody.
- Carrying out small repairs to the property such as replacing tap washers and door handles.
- Replacement of light bulbs.
- Fitting of washing machines, cookers and other appliances.
- Decorating the inside of your home.
- Repairing and maintaining any improvement work that you have carried out including your gas/heating appliances.
- Repairing any damage caused by you, anybody living with you or by anybody visiting your home.
Appointments
We offer an appointment for all non-urgent repairs. We are able to provide appointments at the time you report a repair to our Repairs Response Centre. Appointments are offered as AM, PM, first call or after the school run. Additionally for those tenants that an appointment between 8.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday is not convenient we offer appointments for Thursday evening and Saturday morning.
We aim to keep more than 96% of our appointments. However, if you are not at home when our Building Services Technicians call they will leave a card asking you to contact the Repairs Contact Centre to make an alternative appointment.
If you are aware in advance that you will no longer be available to be home at a pre-arranged appointment please contact our Repairs Response Centre and we will give you priority status and provide you with a convenient alternative appointment.
Gas Safety and Servicing
Wirral Partnership Homes is committed to ensuring total gas safety for our tenants and our working processes and procedures help us deliver this. We have a comprehensive gas safety policy and procedures. We service all of the gas appliances and systems installed by us every 10 months as well as carrying out gas safety checks to all tenants' gas heating appliances.
We achieve our high standards due to our dedicated in house team and use of Fusion 21 Procurement, which was set up in response to the difficulties we encountered in procuring good external gas contractors. We deliver a quality service achieving very high access levels to our tenants' homes to carry out gas servicing. This is aided by our sensitive, assertive approach to managing and monitoring "no access" cases.
We closely monitor "no access" cases and appropriate action is taken if required, for example difficult access issues are highlighted to housing management and repairs staff and where necessary court injunctions are obtained. We also take a sensitive and balanced approach to obtaining access to homes of vulnerable tenants.
Our best practice procedures exceed the regulatory requirements, for example we utilise the services of external gas consultant site auditors to ensure we maintain the highest safety standards. Through our partnership with the Fusion 21 procurement group we are able to deliver best practice and value for money for our tenants.
At least 98% of homes are serviced before the CP12 Gas Safety Certificate expires. This is achieved by starting the process at the ten month stage. In practice, this means that most homes receive a service more frequently than once in every 12 months. This approach has a cost implication but we have chosen this approach to guarantee the safety of our tenants. However, being a member of the Fusion 21 Procurement group make this an affordable option.
Tenant Involvement
Wirral Partnership Homes utilises a wide range of tenant consultation forums such as the Home In Your Hands Group and the Wirral Tenants Federation. Currently we are developing a repairs specific Tenants Maintenance Group. This group will be tasked with being the initial tenant consultation and policy development group that will be at the heart of all repairs related developments and service standard improvements. If you would like to play a role in this group please register your interest at you local Housing Office or Europe Boulevard Head Office.
Useful Repairs Advice
Gas Leak
If you suspect you have a gas leak in your home you should contact Transco Emergency Free Phone on 0800 111 999 then:
- Do not smoke or strike any matches
- Do not turn electrical switches on or off as they can cause sparks
- Turn of the gas supply at the mains gas meter
- Open doors and windows
Contact Wirral Partnership Homes Immediately on 0808 100 9596 if:
- You notice soot marks on or around gas appliances
- The flame in an appliance is yellow/orange and not blue
- Any one in your home suffers from drowsiness, headache, nausea or pains in the chest when using a gas appliance
Blocked Drains
Ensuring that toilets are not used for disposing of inappropriate objects can significantly reduce the risk of blocked drains.
Make sure that nappies and other such items are disposed of in the bin.
Burst Pipes
If you find that you have a burst pipe follow these steps:
- Turn off the water at the stop cock (usually located under the sink).
- Turn off your central heating boiler and immersion heater.
- Drain the water from the pipes by turning on the taps.
- Do not use any electrical switches, they may be wet.
- Contact the Repairs Response Centre as soon as possible.
Condensation
Condensation is a common problem that occurs mainly on cold days where there are large amounts of moisture in the air.
It will appear as spots of black mould on cold surfaces normally on the internal surface of external walls adjacent to windows and corners of rooms. Condensation mould will also appear on cold walls were there is limited air flow such as behind furniture.
There are several steps you can take to help prevent condensation:
- Keep rooms well ventilated.
- Try and ensure that rooms have a constant ambient temperature.
- When cooking, keep the kitchen window open to allow cooking steam to evaporate outside of the kitchen.
- Don't dry clothes on radiators and ensure that any tumble dryers are externally ventilated.
Damp
There are two main types of damp, rising damp and penetrating damp.
Rising damp occurs when there is a problem with the damp proof course. Rising damp will leave a tide mark on your wall up to a height of approximately one meter. Rising damp will often result in the rotting of skirting boards and other adjacent timber.
Penetrating damp occurs when water comes through a wall or roof. The source of the leak may be broken/missing roof tiles, leaking gutters or damaged brickwork or pointing. You will see water staining marks similar to that of rising damp but they will be circular in shape and noticeable directly after rain.
If you think you may be affected by any of these problems please contact the Repairs Contact Centre or any regional Housing Office